Dog-crocodile incident in Dighi, misinformation is spreading on social media

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Recently, a video of a crocodile eating a dog in the shrine of Hazrat Khanjahan (RA) in Bagerhat has gone viral on social media.

After seeing the video on social media, netizens are claiming that the dog was deliberately dumped as crocodile food. Some say that the dog was tied by the legs and thrown into the water. These posts have seen millions of views and hundreds of comments.

However, the statements of the shrine attendants, security personnel and eyewitnesses are different. They claim that this incident was a complete accident and information spread on social media is wrong. 

According to them, on the afternoon of April 8, a sick dog bit some people in the area of ​​the shrine. Locals threw sticks at the dog to chase it away and it ran away from the women’s ghat towards the main ghat.

At this time, the security personnel of the shrine. Forkan scratches the howler. When he brushed his feet, the dog fell into the water. Later the crocodile in the pond grabbed the dog and took it under the water. This part was caught on video and spread on social media.

Eyewitness and local resident Arafat said that the dog was sick and besides biting some people, it also killed two or three chickens. He was chasing whoever was in front of him. When some shopkeepers and local people chased the dog, it went towards the pond and later fell into the water.

Security guard of the shrine. Forkan Howladar said that he got vaccinated at Bagerhat District Hospital after being injured by the dog’s scratch. In his words, a mad dog bites some people. I was warning people at the wharf. The dog came and scratched me. When the foot is washed, it falls into the water and the crocodile grabs it.

Bina Akter, a shopkeeper near the shrine, said the dog also attacked some people in front of his shop and bit a child too. Later, when the dog falls into the water, the crocodile grabs it. Various false stories are being spread on social media about this.

Mehdi Hasan Tapu, who is a friend of the crocodile, said, “You have been watching me in various videos for a long time developing a friendship with the crocodile in the shrine’s pond, feeding it, and caressing it with my hands.” Behaving like a friend, the crocodile does what I say. However, during the full moon, the female crocodile is a bit more aggressive as the crocodile lays eggs. 

According to him, it was too risky to go down to rescue someone as the dog suddenly fell in front of the crocodile.

He also said, many of you have seen that I have developed a deep relationship with the crocodile. Being close to him for a long time, I can understand his behavior somewhat. Still, I always take precautions. Because it is a wild animal, it can change its behavior and attack at any time. So I myself am careful and ask others not to get too close. A bigger accident could have happened if someone got into the water during the incident.

The caretakers of the shrine said that currently there is only one crocodile in Dighi. It is not from the time of Khan Jahan (RA). When the previous crocodiles were on the verge of extinction, the new crocodile was brought from India in 2005 and released.

Khadem Fakir Tariqul Islam, head of Khanjahan Ali Mazar, said that although the incident was accidental, confusion is being created by spreading wrong information on social media. He urged everyone not to spread any information without verification.